<p>Love my cashmere! Could wear it every day in the fall and winter. Each year I have been getting a new sweater from hubby at Christmas, hope he keeps it up. I remember Pringle of Scotland, always looked at those over in England. Do they sell it here in the states?</p>
<p>Hi:</p>
<p>Tonight I am going to an evening wedding, and am stumped about what to wear.
It is indoors at a church, the weather here is low 60s.</p>
<p>Should I wear a nice black dress with a gold shawl, or nice black pants with a lavender silk shirt and silk scarf? </p>
<p>Evening weddings stump me because I don’t want to look too dressy/social, but I want to have a bit of flair.</p>
<p>Suggestions?</p>
<p>I like dresses for weddings - just seems more festive and special somehow.</p>
<p>I always used the delicate cycle in my top loader to wash cashmere and it worked beautifully. I only wash one sweater at a time. Now I have a front loader that has a “wool” setting (I think it just sloshes the sweater back and forth in the water instead of tumbling it, but I’m not sure) and that works too! When I was knitting, I had heard that wool should be washed in water that is approximately body temperature; so I use the Warm setting.</p>
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<p>Thanks, Gourmet! Now I really do feel old. I would shop in the San Francisco I Magnin in the late eighties when I traveled to Northern CA on business. My hotel was nearby and I loved that department store. Then I read an essay by Joan Didion once about shopping in I Magnin and it just became my iconic department store after that. Nordy’s is great. Bloomies is good. I Magnin was the best, imo.</p>
<p>Okay. I have a Pringle sweater – also purchased at I Magnin back in about 1988. I haven’t worn it in many years because it has shoulder pads! But I looked at it with my DD today and we pulled out the shoulder pads and it’s a great sweater. A wonderful heathered gray, longish to the hips, jewel neckline with a wonderful sort of serged thread finish and mother of pearl buttons. DD wants but I’m holding onto this. Had literally forgotten about it.</p>
<p>Clan Dougal remains my gold standard, though.</p>
<p>Beginning to think fine cashmere is like fine rugs – they improve with age.</p>
<p>I wash my cashmere in my front loader with good results. I second the notion that dry cleaning ruins clothing.</p>
<p>Sewhappy - Sorry to infer anything about the “vintage” of I. Magnin. I do remember the Chicago store had declined by the eighties, so I never went there, but they carried everything in the sixties and seventies. Concerning the sweater, I wonder if you remove the shoulder pads, wash, and reblock the sweater it could be wearable? Some shoulder pads can be removed with good results. </p>
<p>Pringle has a website:</p>
<p>[Knitwear</a> | Scottish Cashmere Sweaters | Jumpers | Pringle of Scotland](<a href=“http://www.pringlescotland.com/]Knitwear”>http://www.pringlescotland.com/)</p>
<p>I’ve seen it for sale at Bergdorf, although I haven’t bought a piece in years. I need to peruse that website - looks interesting…</p>
<p>For weddings, a dress!</p>
<p>crizello, I second Alumother: wear the dress! If it were my wedding, I’d want my guests to look as festive as possible. 
(BTW, in the Nordstrom’s earnings release they mentioned that sales of dresses were up this quarter)</p>
<p>A search of my favorite shopping Meccas revealed that Pringle sweaters are sold on Stylebop and Yoox.</p>
<p>i just went to an evening wedding and i wore a black skirt with black tights and cute high heel black shoes. i’d go with a skirt or a dress for sure.<br>
i saw a little bit of everything at the wedding so it really depends upon your area of the country and what you anticipate that people will wear. it’s hard to go wrong though with a skirt or dress. i actually prefer skirts now. much more comfortable. however, i don’t wear long skirts. mine are about knee length or just above. never below.
the tights are really popular now around my part of the country. not sure about where you are at. i am glad to see it as i went bare legged last winter and i was really cold !</p>
<p>crizello I’d wear a dress. The only issue might be that some people don’t like wearing black to weddings. I’m not sure why dressy/social is a problem for a wedding.</p>
<p>I went to the big bloomies sale yesterday and picked up this necklace by Carolee. Have finally figured out that long rope necklaces don’t work on my frame. I do better with the cluster of beads at the throat look. Anyway, I really liked this piece because I think it will work well with cardigans during the holidays. Got it 40 percent off.</p>
<p>[Carolee</a> Plum Pudding Multi Row Torsade Necklace, 20" - Necklaces - Jewelry - Jewelry & Accessories - Bloomingdale’s](<a href=“http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/carolee-plum-pudding-multi-row-torsade-necklace-20?ID=574588&CategoryID=3629#fn=BRAND%3DCarolee%26spp%3D8%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D52]Carolee”>http://www1.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/carolee-plum-pudding-multi-row-torsade-necklace-20?ID=574588&CategoryID=3629#fn=BRAND%3DCarolee%26spp%3D8%26ppp%3D96%26sp%3D1%26rid%3D52)</p>
<p>BB et al- Thanks for the tips on how to wash cashmere knits. I have not been happy with dry cleaning results and DH will only wear cashmere sweaters, so I am happy to have an alternative to try.</p>
<p>I wore the dress, although wobbled at the last minute as it had started raining and was a bit chilly. </p>
<p>I agree it is better to dress up for special occasions, as I feel it gives the event the seriousness it deserves. I forget how casual things have become. Even for an evening wedding, I see people in jeans. Many of the women wore black pants, it was the minority of us that had a nice dress. </p>
<p>Is this just a California thing, or that the trend across the country? When I lived in DC years ago, it seems things were more formal.</p>
<p>I have never attended an evening wedding, but even in casual Seattle , I couldn’t imagine wearing pants to a special occasion like that. Of course I don’t * own* any nice wool pants, but I do have a range of skirts & dresses that I find more comfortable.</p>
<p>Oh! I hope it isn’t a trend! I can’t get used to the fact that nobody dresses up to go to the theater anymore, let alone a wedding! Is nothing sacred?!</p>
<p>Sewhappy - I like the torsade too, although I tend to wear the jewelry I’ve owned for years and not venture forth. You know where you can find some interesting costume jewelry sorts of accessories these days? Brooks Brothers. Weird, huh?</p>
<p>[Women</a> | Jewelry | Brooks Brothers](<a href=“http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=496&viewAll=t&sortBy=]Women”>http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=496&viewAll=t&sortBy=)</p>
<p>“Torsade” – what a lovely new fashion vocab word. Yes, that’s the look I like, all twisty and textured. I have a coral necklace like that and it is the piece I wear the most. </p>
<p>Those Brooks brooches are slaying me. Love the Rubby Duck one.</p>
<p>In California here, I see people wear jeans to weddings, funerals, you name it. it doesn’t matter whether the event is at a nice venue or casual, I will always see the gamut of attire.</p>
<p>It feels like people aren’t willing to give the event any importance if you wear the same thing to a wedding that you wear on a Saturday afternoon at the park.</p>
<p>crizello, I feel the same way. 
Dressing up for a special event is the same thing as dressing up for a job interview: it is not about showcasing yourself, it is about demostrating respect for the people who invited you.</p>
<p>I went to the local NR today… Bad mstake on many fronts. First, I should have stayed put with my hurt knee. Second, it took me 15 min of driving around the parking lot to find a parking space! Are we in a recession? No way! Third, a pair of black leather Tory Burch pants fell off a rack into my arms… I kept praying, “Please, please, let these pants have a little sticker that says, “Made in China”!” Nope, Tory makes her leather pants in the good old US of A! So, long story short, I ended up buying the pants. The pair that I ordered online will be delivered on Monday, so I might have a tough choice to make.</p>
<p>sewhappy, I love the necklace you got from Bloomies. So festive and yet simple! The Brooks Bros jewelry is stunning. Love, love the brooches! However, I cannot imagine paying $400 for a strand of fake pearls when I can get beautiful cultured pearls from Costco:</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - Four Strand Freshwater Cultured Grey and White Pearl Necklace](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11677806&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=17&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11677806&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=17&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=)</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - 4.0 - 5.0 mm Freshwater Cultured Pearl & Black Onyx Three Strand Twist Necklace](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11678929&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=12&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11678929&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=12&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=)</p>
<p>[Costco</a> - 9 - 10 mm Freshwater Cultured Pearl Strand](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11234768&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=9&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11234768&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|108|56640|56585&N=4019071&Mo=18&pos=4&No=9&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=56585&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&ec=BC-EC18764-Cat56640&topnav=)</p>
<p>BB, the leather pants sound great but what is NR?</p>
<p>Those Costco pearls are awesome.</p>